The Call of God 1 Samuel 3:2-18

As a young child, Samuel lived in the temple with his mentor, Eli the priest. One night, the boy heard his name called, so he ran to ask Eli what he wanted. The priest, however, hadn’t spoken, so he sent the child back to bed. This happened two more times before Eli realized that the Lord was the one calling the boy. Then he instructed Samuel to respond by asking the Lord what He wanted.

Almighty God still speaks to us today. The first time we “hear” Him is when He calls us to salvation. The Holy Spirit makes us aware that something is missing in our life, and then He points us to Jesus Christ as the answer.

Without the Savior, we are lost and hopeless. Everyone is born with a sinful nature that’s “bent” away from God. The Father, who’s holy and perfect, cannot be in the presence of unholiness. Therefore, the penalty for sin is death—eternal separation from Him. But God loves us, so to correct that situation, Jesus came to earth, lived the perfect life, and died as a substitute for mankind. He took the penalty for our wrong.

Salvation is the greatest gift. To receive it, all we have to do is trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Then, He abides with us and continues to speak, guiding gently and encouraging us toward righteousness.

Have you felt God speaking to you? If so, don’t delay. Ask Him to forgive your sin; then accept Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice on your behalf, and choose to follow Him. Share your decision with a pastor or trusted Christian friend so that you can have guidance on this beautiful new journey.

A Praying Mom 1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah experienced great sorrow prior to the birth of her son Samuel. Through that difficult time, however, she demonstrated a strong love for God and a dependence on Him through prayer.

Samuel had a mother who loved the Lord deeply. In fact, Hannah saw herself as God’s handmaiden, whose life was in service to Him (1 Sam. 1:11). Even when her misery was overwhelming, she acknowledged how important He was to her, and she modeled a godly lifestyle.

We are commanded to love the Lord with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30) and to give Him first place in our lives (Deut. 5:7). If we love God, we will make sure our children know about Him and understand the importance of a relationship with Him through Christ. Our lives, though flawed, will reveal the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Samuel was blessed because Hannah was a woman of prayer. Her first recorded petition stemmed from misery, while the second came from a heart rejoicing over the Lord’s answer to her cries. A praying mother gives high priority to bringing family concerns before God. I remember my mom kneeling with me by my bed to pray. I can still recall the phrases she used and the things she talked over with Him.

Children need committed parents who 1) demonstrate love toward both the family and God, and 2) help them experience the power and joy of prayer (James 5:16 NIV). Even one parent can make a powerful difference when Christ is the center of the home. I know my mom did.

Hannah’s Example 1 Samuel 1:1-20

In today’s passage, the prophet Samuel describes his godly parents and the difficult time they had before he was born. From looking at the life of his mother Hannah, we can learn some important principles by which to live. Though her situation involved motherhood, the lessons apply to both men and women.

Staying committed to family. One of the women in Hannah’s life tormented her unmercifully. While she wasn’t in any physical danger, her emotions were in constant turmoil because she could not avoid this person. How tempting it must have been to try and find a way out. And yet Hannah stayed in the home, prayed to the Lord, and did her best to cope. She demonstrated a commitment to family that overrode her need for relief.

Communicating love and acceptance. Hannah considered her son Samuel a gift from the Lord (v. 20). I picture her telling him day after day, “God gave you to me. I love you and look forward to what He has planned for you.” We have the power to build up our children and our spouses—or tear them down. Through our words of affirmation, prayers, and parental hugs and kisses, we show how much we value them. Demonstrating godly love strengthens the people who are most precious to us.

Some of us live with people who make life difficult. At times we are negatively impacted by the choices they make. God understands your situation just as He was fully aware of Hannah’s. Draw close to Him and experience His love and commitment to you. Then express the same to others.

Draw Near to God James 4:6-10

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” That is an amazing promise! As we open ourselves up to the Lord, He opens up to us. If we come to Him in submission, repentance, and brokenness, He rushes in with forgiveness, love, and faithfulness. There is no room for self-sufficiency or self-protection in this interaction. Only in the humility of helplessness will we discover the sufficiency of His presence.

At first glance, we may seem to be the ones who begin this open relationship, but in reality, it is God who has taken the initiative; we are merely responding to His overture (John 6:44). Many times He uses situations and difficulties to get our attention and stimulate our thirst for Him. What appears to us to be a painful or desperate situation is His invitation to draw near.

Even our greatest failures and sins can lead us to Christ, as we seek forgiveness from the Father. With an attitude of humble repentance, we can enter into a more intimate relationship with God. However, if you and I continue living in rebellion and are unwilling to confess and repent, He will not open up and reveal more of Himself to us. Sin always blocks our ability to know the Lord.

Have you let adversity or failure pull you away from God instead of toward Him? To put distance between you and Jesus, Satan will misuse the very situations that the Lord can utilize to draw you to Himself. Don’t let the Enemy win the battle. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Fellowship with Jesus Luke 10:38-42

Two sisters, Mary and Martha, were busy preparing for Jesus’ visit. Upon His arrival, the first sister turned her attention to Him while the second was distracted by the preparations (v. 40). She became agitated that Mary was no longer helping. We may be thinking Martha is right—if there is still work to be done, her sister should not be sitting down. Then we hear Jesus’ perspective. Observing that Martha was worried and upset about many things when only one thing was needed, He said Mary had chosen what was better (v. 42).

There are some important lessons to be learned from this story. First, to have fellowship with Jesus, we may have to leave some things undone. Jesus knew how hard the women had been working and how much Martha longed to finish the tasks. But their greatest need was to spend time with Him. Their focus was to be on listening, learning, and interacting with Him.

The second lesson is that our choice to forgo an activity may be misunderstood. Martha certainly didn’t comprehend her sister’s decision. What’s more, if we fail to take time with Him, there may be unpleasant consequences. Martha’s distraction led to worry and agitation. Jesus invited her to choose the better way—namely, to be with Him.

Establishing a habit of communing with the Lord is essential to our spiritual health. Connecting with Him regularly will sharpen our focus on what is most important and help us separate what is good from God’s best. Even in our daily work, we can learn how to maintain an awareness of Him.

Communion with Our Lord 1 John 1:1-3

Genesis 1:27 teaches that God created us—male and female—in His image. As a result of Adam’s rebellion, however, sin entered the hearts of his descendants and separated all of us from our Creator. With that act of disobedience, human nature became self-centered instead of focused on the Lord. The desire to spend time with God was replaced by a bent away from Him.

Knowing our dilemma—that we are enslaved by our “flesh” and unable to pay the penalty we owe—the heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus to stand in as our substitute. Because He is perfectly “holy, innocent, and undefiled” (Heb. 7:26), Christ alone qualified to carry our sins to the cross and pay our outstanding debt. When we receive Jesus’ finished work on our behalf, we are acknowledging His Lordship over our lives. Then we are adopted into God’s family and have fellowship with Him (1 Cor. 1:9).

Take a moment to reflect on Christ’s “rescue mission.” Jesus, the One without sin, chose to take on mankind’s sins—past, present, and future—to save us from eternal separation from the Father. He willingly gave His life so we might be reconciled to God and live with Him forever. As we ponder this amazing demonstration of grace and love, our response should be a strong desire to fellowship with Him.

Child of God, you were designed to have sweet communion with your heavenly Father. Jesus died so that you and I might become part of His family. How strong is your need for fellowship with Him? Does it override the clamor of the day’s events or get lost in the demands of daily living?

The Sacrificial Lamb Hebrews 10:1-14

God’s grace has no limits. His mercy can reach the darkest part of our hearts. What’s more, the forgiveness Jesus offered on the cross stretches back to earth’s first day and forward to its last. Christ not only erased our past, present, and future sin; He also paid for the wrongs of every generation.

When the ancient Israelites brought a goat or a lamb to the temple for a sacrifice, they placed their hands on its head and confessed their sins. The priest then killed the animal and sprinkled some of its blood on the altar of atonement. The ritual symbolized a confessor’s payment for sin. But the lamb could not actually take on the sin and die in place of the Israelite (Heb. 10:4).

If an animal’s blood could actually erase a sin-debt, we’d still be offering those frequent sacrifices, and Jesus’ death would have been unnecessary. Yet we must remember that, though the act itself had no saving power, the ritual of sacrifice was God’s idea (Lev. 4). He established such offerings as a powerful illustration of the seriousness and penalty of sin. The practice also pointed to Christ’s perfect sacrificial death on our behalf and the salvation He offers. To use a modern metaphor, sacrifice can be thought of as a credit card. God accepted the lamb’s blood as temporary payment. When the bill came due, Jesus Christ paid the sin-debt in full.

Modern believers practice certain biblical rituals too. But we are not pardoned through prayer, Bible reading, or even the act of confession. Like the Israelites, we must also look to a lamb—the Lamb of God. When we receive Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, we are forgiven forever.

The Cross: Grace Displayed Romans 3:21-27

At Calvary, the Lord displayed His grace for the entire world to see. The cross represents the intersection of His holiness and His love. From there, He poured out mercy on an undeserving population: all of humanity, including you and me.

Our holy God is absolutely without fault. He’s so “perfectly perfect” that no earthly man or woman can look upon Him and live (Ex. 33:20). The problem has to do with our sinful nature—we all have an inborn desire to rebel against His authority (Rom. 3:10). Anyone who thinks otherwise is deceiving himself (1 John 1:8). It’s important to understand that God hates sin. He cannot abide evil in His presence, so He pronounced a death sentence on sinners (Rom. 6:23).

But Scripture also tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8), and He created people with the intention of caring for them. What’s more, the Lord desires that all people spend eternity with Him. Yet there remains the problem of our sin and the death penalty that we owe.

The Lord cannot violate His own nature. Though God loves mankind, His holiness would be compromised if He permitted the filth of sin into His presence. So the Father made a way to cleanse dirty hearts and transform wayward natures: He put the sin of all mankind on Jesus Christ’s shoulders.

The Father sent His holy Son to be a perfect sacrifice on our behalf. Jesus Christ took our sin upon Himself and died on the cross in our place. When we trust Him as our Savior and receive His forgiveness, we are made new—holy, perfect, and welcome in our Father’s presence.